A common source of annoyance for drivers of vehicles transporting items, such as groceries or dry cleaning on the passenger seat next to them is the tendency of such items to slip off of the seat onto the floor when the car is in motion. It is common for drivers to place objects on the passenger seat for convenience and ready access, and placing storage systems such as containers or organizers on the passenger seat is not satisfactory since these must be removed in order to accommodate passengers and then placed back on the seat when it is no longer occupied.
In addition, there are safety concerns when drivers are distracted by objects falling from the seat or by trying to prevent objects from slipping off. Another hazard is created by objects moving around and becoming wedged in unsafe places. The problems are especially acute when small pets are transported in cages on the passenger seat and could be injured by the cage falling onto the floor and possibly flipping over.
A number of attempts have been made to remedy these problems.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,967,602 describes a slidable tray that is positioned under the surface of the passenger seat on which objects can be stored and which has a vertical barrier to prevent their moving forward onto the floor. The tray slides back into the seat when not in use.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,079,773 proposes a module that folds into the seat back when not in use and when lowered forms a three sided tray with a try bottom situated on the seat portion to accommodate the objects to be transported.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,537,279 discloses a foldable net that attaches to the front of the seat and can be raised to a vertical position or, alternatively, can be attached to the seat's sides.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,780,229 discloses a drawer that can be pulled from the front edge of the seat and folds back flush with the seat when not in use.
U.S. patent application 2007/0273183 proposes a net that pulls up over the seat to provide resistance to movement.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,908,218 provides a pull-up member from under the seat to provide a semi-vertical barrier.
None of the suggestions/solutions is completely satisfactory. The present invention provides an accessory that can be temporarily or permanently attached to the passenger bucket seat of a vehicle and in one embodiment can easily be moved from a closed unobtrusive position flush with the bucket seat to an open position that provides a barrier to prevent slippage and also provides a barrier to obscure the presence of objects on the floor in front of the bucket seat.